Manifesto
1

THE SOURCE AND ROOTS OF NUMEROUS CUISINES WORLDWIDE

Castilla-La Mancha’s cuisine has inspired many other cuisines around the world.

2

SPAIN’S BREADBASKET AND A CHAMPION OF RAW MATERIALS

Known as Spain’s breadbasket, Castilla-La Mancha boasts an extraordinary range and wealth of products, which help to create unique local cuisine.

3

HUMBLE CUISINE

A cuisine not familiar with excess or extravagance, instead showing a transparent, honest, and sincere character.

4

HONEST CUISINE

A sense of simplicity permeates Castilla-La Mancha’s cuisine, showcasing the unique local produce.

5

TRANSCENDING TIME

Both products and culinary techniques have been passed down from generation to generation, not just here in Spain, but worldwide

6

PIONEERS IN PROTECTING A CULINARY IDENTITY

Historical archives are key to being proud of our identity, which have enabled the region’s recipes to be recorded and kept alive in cookbooks.

PLAN ESTRATÉGICO

2020 / 2022

 

Nuestro objetivo desde la Dirección General de Turismo, Comercio y Artesanía de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha es ser canal para el desarrollo de actividades de interés para el sector gastronómico de la región. Impulsar su visibilidad, apoyar en la formación, llegar a otros mercados, hacer que nuestra gastronomía se conozca lejos incluso de nuestro territorio y que se fortalezca desde dentro, son las líneas de actuación a las que queremos dar respuesta.

VER PLAN ESTRATÉGICO
Origin

Castilla-La Mancha is where the world's first Spanish-language cookbook was printed. In the imperial city of Toledo, on 21 November 1525, at the printing house of Ramón de Petras, a volume entitled “Libro de cocina” (Cookbook) was published. According to the title page, the book was attributed to Master Ruberto de Nola, a “chef who cooked for the esteemed Mr Hernando de Nápoles.”

Since then, our cuisine has notched up many more milestones:

•    Revolutionary use of culinary techniques. One of the oldest culinary treatises in Spain was written in Torralba, Cuenca. In 1423, under the nobleman Enrique de Villena from Cuenca, it described the difficult mission of carving food.


•    Pioneers in the pastry sector. The first printed book on confectionery published in Spain was written by Miguel Baeza, a master confectioner from Toledo. Published in 1592, the book was called “The Four Books on the Art of Confectionery” and is split into four parts exploring the use of cane sugar and the different recipes that could be made with it. These include medicinal preserves, candied nuts and spices, nougats, sweets, biscuits and different types of marzipan.
 

•    Castilla-La Mancha is home to a wide range of cuisine and has been “the breadbasket of Spain” since time immemorial. In the Middle Ages, “El Buen Amor” (The Good Love), a book from the Cleric Juan Ruiz, the archpriest of Hita (Guadalajara), details the region’s extraordinary culinary richness. For many, this became a catalogue of products that existed and could be enjoyed.


•    The cuisine of Castilla-La Mancha is and has been admired since ancient times by great historical figures. King Alfonso XIII was passionate about hunting in our region. He was a regular visitor to the Cabañeros National Park in the Toledo mountains. General Prim y Prats (19th century), President of the Council of Ministers, was a huge fan of Castilla-La Mancha.
 

•    Benito Pérez Galdós also had a close relationship with Castilla-La Mancha. An admiration and passion for our gastronomy shone forth in his works, with Castilla-La Mancha being the setting for many tales and local dishes often making an appearance.